Car-coupling



(No Model.)

S. J..ONEAIL.

. e y GAR GOUPLING. No.. 371,783. Patented Oct. 1'8, 1L'88'7.

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llvrrnn STATES PATENr i trice.

SIMON J. ONEIL, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

cARnooUPLiNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,783, dated Qctober18, 1887.

l Application filed March 8, 1887. Serial No.280,078. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON J. ONEIL, a citizen of therUnited States,residing at the city of Reading, county of Berks, State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Automatic Car- Couplers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This improvement relates more particularly to the class of automaticcar-couplers adapted to be coupled to ordinary draw-head cars by thecommon link, and it is therefore not cont fined to cars expresslyfurnished with my improvement.

The object of the improvement is to furnish a draw-head for cars that ata slight cost can be made to supersede the draw-heads in use, that willautomatically couple itself with a corresponding draw-head, or thecoupling and uncoupling therewith may be controlled from the side of thecar, at the will of the operator;

The above objects are attained in the use of my improvements, as shownin the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part ofthe same, in which corresponding letters of reference indicate similarparts throughout.

Figure l represents in longitudinal side elevation the ends of two carsprovided with my improvement, ready for coupling together, Fig. 2representing, also in longitudinal side elevation, the same cars ascoupled together. Fig. 3 is a reverse plan of the coupled cars, showingthehand operating inechanisrmwhercby the couplingof the cars may becontrolled from the sides of the same. Fig. 4. represents in plan myimproved draw-head as detached from the car, showing the recessed jawfor the ordinary link-connection and the side jaw for the connection ofthe automatic coupling-hook; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the same,showing as mounted below and forming an integral portion of thedraw-head the guidestands for the supplemental automatic bunter,operating the automatic coupling-hooks; Fig. 6, a front end elevation ofthe same. Fig. 7

represents iu side elevation and plan one of the automaticcouplinghooks; Fig. S, an'elevation, partly in section, of the shaftplaced in the rear of the draw-head, upon which is mounted thebifurcated arm operated by the supplemental bunter, and through whichmo- A supported therein.

In the drawings, A represents the endsills; A, the side sills; A,intermediate sills; A3, draw-head guide-sills; At, superimposed sills;A5, spring and draw-head abutment; A, ordinary bunters, to all of whichI make no claim, my improvement pertaining more to the construction andoperation of the draw-head for the same.

B represents my improved draw-head, having` the vusual end recess, B,for the reception of an ordinary link, which enables cars unprovidedwith my improvement to be coupled therewith.

B2 represents a side attachment to the jaw of the draw-head, and cast orformed integral therewith, which forms the tensional connection betweenthe cars when the automatic coupling-hooks are dropped into the recessand over the connection with the same.

B3 is an aperture cut through the drawhead, withinwhieh a bifurcated armis suspended upon a special shaft, having. bearings B4 in the sides ofthe draw-head for the same;

B5, also an aperture made for the purpose of decreasing the weight ofthe draw-head.

BG represents standguides integral with the lower face of the draw-head,having a notch, B7, as a guide for a supplemental bunter, and

vprovided with caps B8 for the retention of the draW-head for thereception of the hub of the automatic coupling-hook; C3, a squaredtermination to the shaft at both ends for connection with the handoperating device, and C1 pins for retaining the same in loose`connection therewith.

D represents the shaft of the hand device; D', a socket-head fittedloosely to the ends G3 of the shaft, thus permitting a fore-and-aftmovement of the draw-head; D2, a hand wheel or crank outside of thecar-timbers, by means of which the coupling-hooks are operatedindependently, E being a swiveling hanger for the support of the outerend of said shaft,and E the bolt upon which it swivels as the drawheadis pulled out or pushed in.

F represents the automatic coupling-hooks, provided with hubs F', havinga square aperture adapted to t the squared portion C2 of the draw-headshaft; F2, a hook adapted in its normal condition (uncoupled) to standfree above the jaw of the draw-head, and in its coupled condition todrop automatically over the tensional hook connection B2 ofsaiddrawhead.

G represents the bifurcated arm, suspended by its squared aperture hubGin aperture B3 upon shaft C; G2, bifurcated portion of arm adapted tostraddle the supplemental bunter, andV havingbifurcations G3 at right.angles therewith, operating freely over the bunterpin H3,whereby themovement of said bunter is imparted to the arm G, shaft C, andcoupling-hook F, as shown.

H represents the supplemental bunter, mounted in the guide-stands BG andheld in the guides BT by thecaps B8, and is provided with bunter-headsH, springcollars H2, pin H3, formed integral with the body of thebunter, and a spring, H, of sufficient power to keep the couplinghooks Fraised to their full extent while the ears are standing uncoupled. y

The draw-head is provided with the usual compound springs I I, and maybe supported beneath the car-body in various ways. I have shown it inFigs. l and 2 as supported in a wrought-iron yoke, J, from the end sill,and by the spring-bolt K in the rear in a crosstimber, A5, and in thereverse plan, Fig. 8, superimposed guide-sills A4 are placed upon theusual guide-sills,A. In this case the same would be slotted, as shown indotted lines, to permit the movement of the hand-device connection withthe draw-head, and a flat bar of iron, L,would retain the front end ofthe drawhead in place, as before. As my improvement pertains to thecoupler and draw-head alone, and I have no claim based upon theconstruction of the car, it will not be necessary to go into details asto the manufacture of the same.

The operation of the coupler is as follows: Two cars provided with myimprovement, upon the same track, are pressed toward each other, whenthe supplemental bunter-heads H will rst come in contact, and overcomingthe force of the springs Ht, throughvthe collars H2, the bunter-rod pinH3 in the bifurcations G3 drives the arm G toward the rear, which,operating upon the shaft C, causes the same to be partially rotated uponits `journals C', and thus, through its connection with thecoupling-hooks F2, to depress the same; at the same time the springsIare compressed by the jaws of the draw-heads B striking each other,and, being compressed sufficiently to bring the recess formed by thetension-piece B2 in line with the hooks F2, the same drop into place andthe cars are coupled. To uncouple the cars the operator walks alongsideof the train, and as he successively passes the handwheels D2 a slightturn upon the same releases the hooks FZ and the ears are uncoupled. Bya sudden pull and slack given to the train the couplings willautomatically release themselves.

Having shown the construction, use, and advantages of my improvement, Idesire to claim as follows:

l. As an improvement in automatic coup lers for ears, a draw-headprovided with the usual recess in its front for an ordinary link, andhaving its head extended upon one side to form a recess, andtension-piece adapted to receive a coupling-hook mounted upon theopposing draw-head, apertures for reducing the weight of draw-head andfor the reception of a shaft and arm, operated by asupplemental bunter,said shaft supported in bearings in the sides of said draw-head andprovided With a central bifurcated arm, an outside supported automaticcoupling hook, and end connections with a hand device, having swiveledconnections with the side sills, and handwheels for operating the same,hung outside of said swivel hangers, integral stands withguide-bearings, and caps for supplemental bunter-bar H, heads H', collarH2, pins H3, and springs H4, in combination with springs I I', bolts K,cross-bar A5, and guide-sills and yoke or plate, as shown, described,and for the purpose set forth.

2. As an improvement in ear-couplers, a draw-head having mounted uponits lower face and integral therewith stand-guides B",

provided with guides B7, and caps BS, in which are automaticallyoperated bunter rods H, having heads H, collars H2, integral pins H3,and springs H4, in combination with a bifurcated arm, G, straddling saidbar and in operative con neetion with said pin H3, said arm mounted upona shaft supported in the sides of said draw-head, and having acouplinghook, F, hung upon the same, outside of said draw-head, the endsof said shaft squared andv loosely fitted to socket ends D of a handdevice in combination therewith, whereby the cars may be coupled anduncoupled from the sides ofthe same by operating hand-wheels D2, as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. In combination witha car-coupler draw ICO ITO

bead, as shown and described, a coupling hook, F, having a hub, F', andhook F2, a

by its integral pins H3, a spring, H4, upon f said bar, pressing againsta collar, H2, the whole so arranged and combined With said dravv-headthat the heads H of the supplej' supported in the swiveled hangers E,promental bunter shall first contact, and that on subsequent Contact ofthe draw-head jaws the coupling-hooks F2 shall be'depressed and lock inthe recesses of the head-extension BZ, and thus couple the ears, thehand device D, With its socket D', and hand-wheels D2,

2o vided for the hand operation ofthe device, as and for the purpose setforth.

SIMON J. O'fNEIL. Witnesses: y

C. H. EUHL, EDWARD YEAGER.

